ach du Scheiße
/ax duː ˈʃaɪ̯sə/word by word
The English phrase "oh crap" can be translated into German as ach du Scheiße.
ach du Scheiße is an informal, vulgar exclamation used to express shock, dismay or realization of a mistake.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally 'oh you shit', where 'du' is the second-person singular pronoun 'you'.
Which one should you use?
Ach du meine Güte is a much milder, polite alternative to ach du Scheiße for expressing surprise or dismay, translating to "Oh my goodness".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ach du Scheiße is an informal, vulgar exclamation. Mist! is an informal exclamation used to show annoyance or frustration. Scheiße! is an informal expression that means 'crap' or 'shit' in English.
How do you pronounce it?
/ax duː ˈʃaɪ̯sə/
Did you know?
- In German, you can turn the exclamation Scheiße into an intensive prefix for other words, such as scheißbesoffen to mean 'extremely drunk'.
- The English word 'shit' and the German word Scheiße both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *skeyd-, which originally meant 'to part'.
- While ach du Scheiße translates literally to 'oh you shit', the 'du' is not addressing a person, but functions as an emphatic particle common in German exclamations.
Examples in context
- Ach du Scheiße, ich habe meinen Schlüssel vergessen!Oh crap, I forgot my key!
- Ach du Scheiße, das Auto ist kaputt.Oh crap, the car is broken.
- Ach du Scheiße, es regnet schon wieder.Oh crap, it is raining again.
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian are looking at a broken vase on the floor.
- JuliaAch du Scheiße, die Vase ist kaputt!Oh crap, the vase is broken!
- MaximilianDas war die Vase meiner Mutter.That was my mother's vase.
- JuliaEs tut mir so leid, Maximilian.I am so sorry, Maximilian.
- MaximilianDas ist jetzt auch egal.It doesn't matter now.
